ABSTRACT
This chapter shows some of the interconnections and synergies between radical democracy's various discourses and practices, including its underpinning post-foundationalist frameworks. These frameworks in turn inform several of the explicit delineations, discourses and practices of radical democracy. Probably the best-known project of radical democracy is that outlined in the joint and separate works of Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau, and it begins in their anti-essentialist deconstruction of Marxism. Radical democracy understood in this way exemplifies the ongoing demands for broader public participation in democratic decision-making. Participants may also lack relevant information, necessary time or indeed the social capital required for quality deliberative participation. The interconnectedness of radical democracy with the grassroots work of social movements is also a significant theme for arguments contending that the internet, new communications and social networking tools can provide important vehicles for democratization.
